An extremely powerful and uplifting story about a family of black sharecroppers, the Morgans, set in rural Louisiana during the early 1930s, Martin Ritt's SOUNDER is so simple and effective that it evokes an emotional response from viewers of all ages. Even so, SOUNDER is not a children's film by any means; it treats serious, adult issues, and features some of the most deeply felt performances and mature relationships ever captured on film. SOUNDER's title comes from the name of the Morgan family dog that young David Lee Morgan takes with him while hunting with his father, Nathan. Unfortunately, times are so hard for the Morgans that when Nathan tries to steal a ham for his family, he is caught and sent to a labor camp. David, now the man of the house, sets out on a journey to find the camp where his father was sent. On his way, he comes across an all-black school where he enrolls, learning empowering lessons about black achievement in America. Based on the Newberry Award winning novel by William H. Armstrong, SOUNDER not only improves on its source material, but it is also one of the rare films about the black experience that moves people of all races.
William H. Armstrong's poetic novel comes alive in this acclaimed screen adaptation. During the Depression, a black sharecropper family struggles to make a subsistence living for themselves. Adversity turns into tragedy when the father is incarcerated for stealing food for his family. Now David, the eldest son, must fill his father's shoes. It's a tall order for such a little boy. But it won't be easy for any of them now that they're facing abject poverty, endless hunger and long term separation.
SOUNDER made its world premeire at the Atlanta Film Fest on August 13, 1972.
Filmed on location in Louisiana.
Followed by a sequel, SOUNDER, PART 2.
Additional cast members include, Rev. Thomas N. Phillips, Judge William Thomas Benett, Spencer Bradford and Myrl Sharkey.
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Digital - English
Subtitles - SDH English Subtitles (For the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) - Optional
Distributor Notes: Nathan Lee Morgan (Paul Winfield), an African-American sharecropper, steals food from his neighbor to feed his hungry family and is arrested, leaving his wife, Rebecca (Cicely Tyson), and their three children to endure the hardships of prejudice and poverty in the Depression-era South. Nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, this acclaimed film, directed by Martin Ritt and adapted from the Newbery Award-winning book, tells the coming-of-age story of a boy and his dog.
Source: Koch Entertainment Distribution
Director of Photography
John A. Alonzo: American Director of Photography
Production Designer
Walter Scott Herndon: Production Designer
Costume Designer
Nedra Watt:
Review 1:
"Working from a screenplay by the African-American playwright Lonne Elder III, Ritt builds an affecting portrait of a black sharecropper and his family as they struggle to survive the early years of the Great Depression."
Source: New York Times
11/24/2008
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